Sherlock Holmes is certainly a classic literary character. There are various renditions of him on the market and everyone has their own favorite. My personal favorite is the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock. Though, regardless of which Sherlock you know and like, we can all agree that he is a bit of a jerk. Brilliant and has his soft spots, but “rough around the edges” is a bit of an understatement when it comes to this classic character.
With that in mind, I would say Mr. Holmes and a Smokey English Breakfast seem like a fitting pairing. Rough around the edges with a hint of sweet, and it doesn’t hurt that the base is traditionally English. Plus, among other things, the lapsang can invoke memories of the character’s well-known smoking habit.
Just like Mr. Holmes and his personality, smokiness in tea is a harsh and polarizing flavor component. It can be off-putting for some but when done right, as it is here, it creates an interesting scent and flavor, like a campfire. It is a bit like tobacco in taste but not bitter in the slightest. There is also a sweetness here though, like a hint of honey that compliments the smoke quite nicely. It’s subtle but it’s there and it keeps this tea from being one-note, and though I don’t personally sweeten my teas, I could see this taking sweetener quite nicely.
As far as smokey teas go, this is a nice take on a classic and in my mind, it is quite well suited to the literary masterpiece that inspired it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: First Edition Tea Co.
Description
A mysterious blend of traditional English Breakfast tea packed with plenty of pipe smoke, a hint of bergamot, nettle, and a surprising touch of honey sweetness. Perfect for sipping while lost in your mind palace. It’s elementary.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Jasmine Floral Tea from Grimoire Tea
I’ll be honest with you guys– I don’t know what Grimoire means. Or what Whiterun is. (Don’t take away my nerd card, please.) And frankly, I don’t even reach for green teas (or jasmines!) all that frequently. (I know. Stick with me, I promise.) So when I saw this one waiting for me in my sample stash, I was… dubious, to say the least. Never one to shy away from a cup of anything, however, I knew I had to give this one a try.
The jasmine, upon brewing, is the FIRST thing you smell– and I mean that in ALL CAPS. It is JASMINE! with an exclamation point. To say I was expecting to find that same flavor-ferocity in the sip is an understatement, but I was pleasantly surprised! The actual brew is a beautiful deep gold liquor, with a delightfully balanced jasmine flavor profile. I can’t say I’m picking up too much green in this cup, but the jasmine is spot-on– strong enough that you certainly don’t have to go hunting for flavor, but balanced enough that it’s not going to kick you tush-over-teakettle.
Also present? Stevia. I know this is a controversial ingredient, but I actually think it works really well here, friends. If you’re not partial to ANY sweet in your tea, I’d skip this one– but from what I can tell, I’m fairly certain the sweetness comes from the actual stevia leaf and not the signature artificial taste from the liquid. There are definitely some unaccounted-for green flakes in the dry leaf that would back me up on this one. That said, the sweetness from the stevia brings a nice rounding-out of flavors that make this tea more accessible for the jasmine-novice and infrequent-green-sipper like myself. Grimoire, you might be making a green/jasmine fan of me yet! (Now just help me fill that gap in my nerdery knowledge, and I’ll be good to go.)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Grimoire Tea
Description
Strolling the marketplace from the central plains of Skyrim, a sweet floral green tea with a fresh taste calls home.
Ingredients:
Green Tea
Jasmine
Stevia
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Say Aloha from Harlow Tea Co. . . . .
In theory, Spring is upon us. As the weather heats up, it is time to say goodbye to heavier winter teas and say hello or perhaps Aloha to lighter spring teas. So what is a lighter spring tea?
Well for me fruity greens come to mind. They are lighter in color and lighter in flavor. And Harlow’s Say Aloha with its strawberries and pineapple and other fruits sounds like a spring tea to me.
One misstep I think they took with this tea was using both a hojicha base and hibiscus. Both are such strong ingredients that they wrestle to take center stage, drowning out the fruity flavors in the process. Personally I think the hojicha base would have provided enough of a foundation to give this tea body and depth while allowing the other ingredients to play a bigger role.
As it is now, there is a roastiness from the green tea, a tartness from the hibiscus, and then a generic fruity sweetness from all the various fruits here. Plus, since candied fruit was used, the sweetness is strong, making for another contender in the wrestling match. These components are making war, when they should be blending harmoniously.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Harlow Tea Co.
Description
Houjicha green tea, hibiscus flower, myrtle leaf, strawberry leaf, dried strawberries, dried pineapple, dried plums, and cinnamon dried apples.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sweet Mango Peach Tea from Gypsy Soul Tea . . . . .
I have been on an iced tea kick lately. My friend got me an iced tea press and it is my new obsession.
Consequently, I am going through fruit teas like crazy. That is why when this sample arrived, I jumped at the chance to steep it up.
Made with apple, hibiscus, pineapple, peach, papaya, lemon peel, and natural flavors, but no mango to be found. Sipping on it now, it’s flavor is quite subtle and light. There is no tartness from the hibiscus which could be a plus for many but that also seems to be a side effect of lack of overall flavor. What I am getting is a generic fruitiness that leans slightly towards stonefruit. The apple base and dried fruit is contributing a bit of waxiness as well that you sometimes get with fruit blends.
Personally, I am not a fan because I find myself wanting more. More mango, more peach, more flavor. It is not bad but at the end of the day, it is underwhelming.
However, Gypsy Soul Tea has many other offerings to choose from and though this is the first I have tried of this company, I would be interested to see what else they have.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Gypsy Soul Tea
Description
This sweet, peachy temptation, is made from all natural fruit and herbs. Naturally caffeine free, this tea is great for the kids and anyone avoiding caffeine!
Try it iced or with a splash of ginger ale for an extra treat!
Ingredients: apple, hibiscus, pineapple, peach, papaya, lemon peel, natural flavors
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Enjoying A Liquid Proust Tea. . . . .
Pu’erh is a new-ish, mostly unexplored territory to me, so I don’t have a huge range of language to use to describe it, or a lot to compare this particular sample to. That said, ready or not, WE’RE GOING INTO THIS REVIEW.
This is a really deep, wooded, hay-like, rustic taste, like an old barn that’s not in use. (No, like, gross animals. Just the structure and the hay and some age.) Which I really like, actually. It’s calming. There’s also a hint of cocoa here, but it’s not strong. The “candy bar” element, despite the tea’s name, isn’t the forefront.
This tea tastes like being outside and away from society. It tastes like what I imagine living in a Tiny House might be like. Wander around, hook it up to campgrounds in the trees. Sip tea. Work on your art. Look out the window for inspiration. When that inspiration runs out, go to another place.
Is it obvious, here, that I want a Tiny House? In addition to my real house, of course. Which I think is against the whole “GOING TINY” ethos of “less is more.” I just want to go glamping away from my troubles for a while.
This tea seems like the kind of straightforward “tastes good in a simple way” vibe that I would like to attain in more aspects of my life. I’ll enjoy drinking more of it.
Unfortunately, you will not, as it is not currently available at Liquid Proust. It appears, from his most recent blog posts, that he will be whittling down his tea involvement while he gets his MBA.
I’m very happy for his personal development, even though his blends will be missed! He’ll still be around, if you want to befriend him online or get straight teas.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Puerh
Where to Buy: Liquid Proust
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
